Happy birthday, Dee Marie! Hope it's a wonderful birthday. It's finally cold here after weeks of being in the 70's and 80's. The temp is actually dropping this morning. It's now 25 degrees and very windy here in north Texas. But, it's also about time. QOD: I've got lots of picking up, then cleaning, to do, and laundry as always. My last day of work is Monday. I have such mixed feelings about things right now. The parents have been so sweet, but the children are being awful which will actually make it a little easier to go. LOL I have a dr.'s appt. on Tuesday for my pre-op workup, dentist appt. Wed., and helping son move into his first home on Thursday. NHSuzanne, I think it's great that your dh is bonding with the new donkey. Raeanne, I hope the PT works out as you hope. Sounds so ambitious to me. Marci, we had our Valentine party on the Friday before the actual day, sugared them up, then sent them home for the weekend. Tuesday, I brought heart cookies and they each had one. It was a very nice day. Donna, we're going to try to see "Last Holiday" this weekend, too. Hope we all like it. Joanne, sending good thought and ((((hugs))) for you and your dear mom. Zig, being without power is the pits, isn't it? Once we were w/o it during a January ice storm, and I had to finally break down and take a shower and shampoo my dirty hair. It was pure misery, but I had to keep a dentist appt. since the ice had melted, so had no choice. Tikanas, how is your knee now? My knee-replacement surgery may be delayed so that they can attempt some in-office procedure on my other knee so that it's in good shape to see me through. Hi, Maddie, BJ, and Happyto! I miss reading y'all's interesting posts. Happyto, please start posting here. It's such good therapy, and you are such a neat person to read. Take care and stay warm, everyone!

WARNING - Heavy Answer Below: QOD - that is tough to just pick one thing. I have had a lifetime filled with challenges, from growing up with an alcoholic mother to losing a sister from developing panic attacks to losing both parents close together. I think the biggest challenge has been to overcome low self-esteem, yes, you heard right. No one believes me that know's me now, that I had the worse self-esteem and was so painfully shy, I would rather die than be in most public situations. Contrary to that I did have a very independent nature, brought on by the fact that as a child I had to fend for myself a lot of the time. I don't really know how I overcame it, but it had a lot to do with my children and wanting them to grow up with a much stronger role model. Groomingal - you have a plateful. I admire your ambition and doing what is important to you. I am sure your family will benefit from this change (even though at times you may wonder). Good luck with the house purchase. I love how the internet can help people connect. Look at us here. Milkdud - I will keep little Aubrie in my thoughts and prayers. You have some nerve mentioning 78 degrees. It is a whopping 26 right now LOL. Marci - Enjoy your Easter dinner. It is just DH and me this year. Not sure what we are going to do. Suzanne - I replied to your email yesterday, but noticed afterwards that the reply email was very different than the one's I know. Let me know if you didn't get it. Thanks for the walrus link - how adorable. Patti - I still have a Bok Tower postcard you sent me. Give Dave a hug from me for being so good to you. McPeg - thanks for the pep talk - it is much needed and appreciated LOL. I have been fighting a cold for a couple of days. Yesterday it won, today I am ahead. Speaking of Easter - Hey BJ if you are out there - I can't walk by a peep these days without thinking of you. Have a wonderful Easter everyone. I miss dying eggs, shopping for cute little dresses, hiding eggs, and sneaking a piece of chocolate before breakfast.

Good FRIDAY Morning!! Wonderful to hear from Joanne and Maddie! Suzanne, looks like you got some very nice gifts from Raeanne. Looking forward to seeing those slippers in April 2005! Was thinking about you this morning...I just had to turn Howard off and listen to some old fogies on a local NYC station. Howard just goes on and on and on about his new gig and how much "injustice" he's suffering. I tried to call up and say "shut up and make me laugh"!!!!!!!!!!!!! ...but the phones were busy. LOL By the time I got to within a mile of the office, he was on to funny stuff, but geez, do I need another year of his whining for the first hour? MAKE ME LAUGH!!! LMAO (Hey, I made myself laugh!) OK, another evening and no decorations. I got home after my yogilates class, and DSD was at my house. DH had finished putting new locks on two of our outside doors. Why? I've no idea. On our list of things to-do, it was probably #35, but he was so proud of himself. This evening, we are going shopping and picking up a tree on the way home. I went over this carefully with him before he left the house this morning! LOL Gotta run; I'm working on finishing up my 2004 report on how I accomplished my development and objectives...what corporate BS !! Got to get the wording 'just right' so you get a bigger bonus than the next guy. Ah, what I endure for great vacations! LOL Take care, eat healthy, and NEVER NEVER GIVE UP! DeeMarie

Amy, the lyrics you came up with are sad to me, but thanks for stopping in and sharing them. They sound lonely. Are you lonely over there? What kinds of social activites are you indulging in? Do you still have the home helper to take you out to the stores and galleries? And have you had any new ideas on canvas? I remember you were thinking of painting the small Hawaiian homes and broken down trucks beside them --some local flavor. That was a cool idea. What about your web site ---- ? I know these are a lot of questions, but I am curious about your forward movement. I think about you all the time..... Raeanne~ Geez! How'd the guy's fire start? Having things burn always makes me feel really strange. I really enjoy controlled fire, but fires that destroy are so irreversible. You lose so much of your life's history when a fire takes the things you've worked for and cherished. The photos and memories are virtually lost and there is so much to rebuild. However, speaking from experience, a fire is a time when you find out who your true friends are, so it is an excellent eye-opener for the New Year. I hope the community pulls together for him and shows him the spirit of hope! I've only just read the latest couple of posts, so I'll read more and be back to relax later. All in-laws left yesterday, so we took down the tree, decorations, and will drive them to storage to day. Also, gotta go to the transfer station with all the garbage and recycling. Then, off to the grocery to refill the pantry and get the kids lined up for school to start tomorrow! Whew! Happy New Year!